Incubators Anonymous

[Sylviaanne]

I now have about 24-26 babies. LOL I lost count when I got distracted and there are still a few that are not pipped. I hope they are ok. I also have guinea eggs that are due in a week now and I added some of my mix breeds on day 7 to keep them company when they hatch. Hopefully, they will help keep the guineas at home. Hopefully the new baby guineas will help keep the older ones at home too. The older ones are about 2 months old.

 

[HugHess]

Well, I got a nice little surprise today when I candled my Cemani/Orp X eggs!
I swore I had two quitters, one blood ring and one that I just could not see any movement in, at all... not on day 7 or day 10! Denial wouldn't allow me to remove it from the bator so I told myself to give it until Friday...so...
Curiosity got the best of me, as it usually does...and while I candled... there it was, a bouncing chick!
So to any of the 'newbies' to our deep 'seeded' addiction...hear my 'call', try to never assume...and just keep your candlers bright and your eyes peeled!
If it doesn't smell and it isn't oozing or otherwise a hazard to the rest of your 'batch'...leave 'em in there! (MPO)
You just never know...hee-hee!
Good luck to everybody out there with their bators fired up and hatches awaiting!
As the song should go..."Peeperin' ain't easy".... which is why I wholeheartedly salute you!
I am so grateful for this thread...thanks 'gang'...

 

[calichicken]

Well, I got a nice little surprise today when I candled my Cemani/Orp X eggs!
I swore I had two quitters, one blood ring and one that I just could not see any movement in, at all... not on day 7 or day 10! Denial wouldn't allow me to remove it from the bator so I told myself to give it until Friday...so...
Curiosity got the best of me, as it usually does...and while I candled... there it was, a bouncing chick!
So to any of the 'newbies' to our deep 'seeded' addiction...hear my 'call', try to never assume...and just keep your candlers bright and your eyes peeled!
If it doesn't smell and it isn't oozing or otherwise a hazard to the rest of your 'batch'...leave 'em in there! (MPO)
You just never know...hee-hee!
Good luck to everybody out there with their bators fired up and hatches awaiting!
As the song should go..."Peeperin' ain't easy".... which is why I wholeheartedly salute you!
I am so grateful for this thread...thanks 'gang'...

YAY!!!! congrats

And yes I agree....do not give up on an egg unless in smells or will do harm to the rest of the batch...you just never REALLY know whats going on inside those eggs no matter how much experience you have!

 

[Pooman]

Question for the incubator gurus..

What is going to happen if i have to low a humidity.

I have the janoel 8-48 and a smaller janoel for hatching. So incubating weekly

Now in the main bator for 18 days, typically (with default humidity alarm at 40%) we needed to keep both channels on the floor flooded, but not the free floor space in between. Only 1 would drop us below 40% hence alarm goes off. So we kept 2 full. Giving 55-65%

Now 2 hatchings in a row we got 3/5 and 2/5 all the chicks that didnt make it seemed perfectly formed but were either wrong way around or just didnt pip, one was very moist and gooey inside, yellow stuff, still yolk i assume. The other 4 looked like they should have been running around.... Disappointing.

So did a stack of reading and have since been running with only a shot glass of water which gives me about 15-25% and dries up in a couple of days. The first hatching is coming this weekend. Going to candle and lockdown tonight, in the normal high humidity incubator. Ill mark the air cells too.

I dont have multiple humidity meters, i dont weight the eggs or mark airsac development normally. Just candle to see development and movement of the little guys

Im assuming the higher humidity was allowing the chicks to grow too large restricting movement (the ones facing the wrong way as a good example). But what if i have gone to far the otherway... What am i going to see if i have had to low a humidity for the last 2 weeks?

So frustrating to see em not make it. With only one rooster performing out of 3 with flocks.... Grrr they are getting swapped out soon. But the one who is doing the job, my lovely Plymouth Rock who i hand raised is now attacking me. Such a sweet little chick but a brute now.. I think i have 3 of his sons in the brooder now anyway, but anyway im just whinging now. Tell me about what to expect if my humidity has been too low?

Thanks

 

[sssharon]

Well I'm no guru but I did like incubating eggs. It's a lot of work due to making sure the temp and humidity is where it's supposed to be. I was probably guilty of to much humidity at times but I actually think that more is better anyway. My thought and I also think I read it, is that it makes it easier for the chick to break out because the humidity softens up the shell. It could have been coincidence but the first time I incubated I added some water during the day of hatch and it got very moist. One of my eggs started pipping shortly and I was sure it was because of the humidity. To me it stands to reason that if the shell is softer, (more pliable) the chicks going to be able to get out easier. Don't take my word for it. I may have just been lucky. I doubt that what you did hurt anything. I think it's the last 2 or 3 days that are the most crucial.

 

[Bazy]

Macaroon, Cheesecake, Meringue, Torte, Ganache (as in chocolate ganache...drool!), or maybe custard?

Ganache!! Yes!!

 

[appps]

Well, I got a nice little surprise today when I candled my Cemani/Orp X eggs!
I swore I had two quitters, one blood ring and one that I just could not see any movement in, at all... not on day 7 or day 10! Denial wouldn't allow me to remove it from the bator so I told myself to give it until Friday...so...
Curiosity got the best of me, as it usually does...and while I candled... there it was, a bouncing chick!
So to any of the 'newbies' to our deep 'seeded' addiction...hear my 'call', try to never assume...and just keep your candlers bright and your eyes peeled!
If it doesn't smell and it isn't oozing or otherwise a hazard to the rest of your 'batch'...leave 'em in there! (MPO)
You just never know...hee-hee!
Good luck to everybody out there with their bators fired up and hatches awaiting!
As the song should go..."Peeperin' ain't easy".... which is why I wholeheartedly salute you!
I am so grateful for this thread...thanks 'gang'...

That's good to read as I've gat a blood ring and a nothing's happening myself at the moment.

 

[appps]

Question for the incubator gurus..

What is going to happen if i have to low a humidity.

I have the janoel 8-48 and a smaller janoel for hatching. So incubating weekly

Now in the main bator for 18 days, typically (with default humidity alarm at 40%) we needed to keep both channels on the floor flooded, but not the free floor space in between. Only 1 would drop us below 40% hence alarm goes off. So we kept 2 full. Giving 55-65%

Now 2 hatchings in a row we got 3/5 and 2/5 all the chicks that didnt make it seemed perfectly formed but were either wrong way around or just didnt pip, one was very moist and gooey inside, yellow stuff, still yolk i assume. The other 4 looked like they should have been running around.... Disappointing.

So did a stack of reading and have since been running with only a shot glass of water which gives me about 15-25% and dries up in a couple of days. The first hatching is coming this weekend. Going to candle and lockdown tonight, in the normal high humidity incubator. Ill mark the air cells too.

I dont have multiple humidity meters, i dont weight the eggs or mark airsac development normally. Just candle to see development and movement of the little guys

Im assuming the higher humidity was allowing the chicks to grow too large restricting movement (the ones facing the wrong way as a good example). But what if i have gone to far the otherway... What am i going to see if i have had to low a humidity for the last 2 weeks?

So frustrating to see em not make it. With only one rooster performing out of 3 with flocks.... Grrr they are getting swapped out soon. But the one who is doing the job, my lovely Plymouth Rock who i hand raised is now attacking me. Such a sweet little chick but a brute now.. I think i have 3 of his sons in the brooder now anyway, but anyway im just whinging now. Tell me about what to expect if my humidity has been too low?

Thanks

First timer rather than guru lol but I'm using the same incubator and according to a second hygrometer I have it's actually .5deg c (32.9F) warmer in there than the incubator reading says and the humidity is an extra 8% on top of what the incubator says. So incubator says 52% humidity but hygrometer is saying 60%

When I filled both trays it was over 70% according to my separate meter.

I tested the extra hygrometers temp side of things and it read true but I don't know how accurate it's humidity reading is.

My point I guess is that I wouldn't trust what the incubator is telling you and would invest in a second hygrometer then test to see its accurate and compare temps and humidity.

 

[Pooman]

First timer rather than guru lol but I'm using the same incubator and according to a second hygrometer I have it's actually .5deg c (32.9F) warmer in there than the incubator reading

My point I guess is that I wouldn't trust what the incubator is telling you and would invest in a second hygrometer then test to see its accurate and compare temps and humidity.

Yeah, should have mentioned, i have tuned the temperatures, the big one is about 2oC to high so have turned it back, and the little one was perfect, until the cat knocked it off the shelf and ate the first chick this year..... Woops

Im using a person thermometer, it only goes between 36-44 or something, so the perfect accurate range. Temps fine, but still agree need to verify the humidity reading on the big one, and find out what it is in the hatcher.

 

[maranfarmer563]

Pooman, roosters can be mean protecting hens,but hand raised ones have no fear of humans and feel equal or even superior to you. With sheep,bottle rams are not played with or pushed on their head,or they may severely injure you when they grow up